Migrants Trapped in Bosnia Awaken to Winter’s Arrival

Snow and cold, the first signs of winter, have come to Bosnia and Herzegovina, where thousands of refugees and migrants remain stuck on their way to the European Union.

During the night of Monday to Tuesday, in Una Sana Canton, one out of ten administrative units in Bosnia’s Federation entity, migrants living outside designated camps, like those in Kljuc and Velika Kladusa, woke up to snow and heavy rain.

Many of them – coming from hot climates – were seeing snow for the first time in their lives.

Some of the migrants and refugees are still placed in improvised tent shelters in the canton, although local media say the majority of them are now housed in a former factory.

This year, by early November, Bosnia had registered the arrival of 21,163 migrants and refugees, according to the Service for Foreign Affairs.

Of that number, 19,986 had expressed an intention to seek asylum in Bosnia but only 1,314 had filed actual requests. So far, none was approved.

The precise number of those still in Bosnia is hard to confirm but is estimated to range between 4,000 and 6,000. This means that most of those who declared an intention to claim asylum in Bosnia have in fact already left and moved on.

Improvised tent shelter in Velika Kladusa. Photo: SOS team KladuSa, No Name Kitchen, Are You Syrious

Improvised tent shelter in Velika Kladusa. Photo: SOS team KladuSa, No Name Kitchen, Are You Syrious

Improvised tent shelter in Velika Kladusa. Photo: SOS team KladuSa, No Name Kitchen, Are You Syrious